Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme is out of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier against Algeria on 12 November in Uyo, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper sustained a hip injury in a Championship clash with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and was taken off at half time.
Details about the injury and how long Ikeme would be out were sketchy, but Completesportsnigeria.com has now been informed that the 30-year-old is definitely going to miss the key qualifier.
“Ikeme wrote to the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday to inform us that he will not recover in time for the Algeria game,” an NFF source told Completesportsnigeria.com on Wednesday morning.
The source added that Ikeme will be out for several weeks and will miss key games for Wolves as well.
In Ikeme’s absence, Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rorh is left with only FC IfeanyiUbah’s Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Portugal-based youngster Dele Alampasu, the two other keepers in the 24-man squad for the Algeria game.
However, Rorh could still call up a replacement, with South Africa-based Daniel Akpeyi a possibility.
Akpeyi stood in for ill Ikeme impressively earlier this year when the Super Eagles lost 1-0 to Egypt in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Alexandria.
Emmanuel Daniel, the Enugu Rangers keeper who had a brilliant Rio 2016 Olympics, is another option for Rohr.
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